Clod-fender adjuster.



No. 657,333. 'Pa'tented Sept. 4, I900. s. E. cLAPP. cLon- FENDER ADJUSTER.

(Application filed June 29, 1900.

(No Model.)

WITNESSES.-

INVENTOR- Samuel/E BY A ATTORNEY.

THE Ndflms Pzrzns co. Puowaurua. WASHINGTON. n. c.

' class of farm implements which are known as- UNITED STATES PATENT ()EEICE.

, SAMUEL E. 'oLAPr, OF DECATUR COUNTY, INDIANA.

moo- ENDER ADJUSiTER.

sp mmmon swa part of LettersIPatent Nb. 657,333, dated Saamta 4, 1906.

Application fil d June 29,1900. eria1No.22,090. (NomodeL) T0 of whom it may concern: I i

Beit known that I, SAMUEL E. CLAPP,a citizen of the United States,residing in the county of Decatur, in the State of Indiana, have invented a certain new and useful Olod-Fender Adjuster; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to appliances that are designed to be removably attached to the cultivatorsj and has reference more particularly to means whereby the clod-fenders on such machines may be adjusted and manipulated so as to release clods that may become wedged between the shovels and the fenders. f

Heretofore clod-fenders have been disadvantageously attached to the cultivator of the type shown herein, with the result in practice that clods become wedged between the shovel and the fender, which made it necessary to dislodge such clods in order to render the fender practicable, and this has been accomplished only by much less of time and aggravating labor, it being necessary to punch out the clods by means of a pole or by the foot of the attendant.

My object is to eliminate such delays and extra labor and to provide fenders and appliances which may be readily controlled and adjusted to suit all requirements in operation, enabling the attendant to either elevate or depress the fenders to suit the character of the ground and crop being worked, and to elevate the fenders when desired, so as to be temporarily inoperative; and a further object is to provide appliances of this character,

which may be quickly detached when they are not required to be employed and when they might be obstructive.

With these objects in view my invention consists in fenders attached in a novel manner to the frame which carries the cultivatorshovels, in novel housings attachable to the cultivator-axle, a rock-shaft having lift-arms and a novel lever, a latch for the lever, and

a novel latch-lifter; and the invention con sists also in the parts and combination and arrangernents of parts hereinafter particularly described, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a perspective View ofa cultivator, showing my appliances connected therewith; Fig. 2, a front elevation of my appliances connected to a fragment of the cultivator-axle, the fenders being shown in transverse section; Fig. 3, a side elevation of the lever and a lift-arm and also the latch and the latch-lifter and the shaft-housing attached to the axle; Fig. 4, a side elevation of one of the detachable housings; Fig. 5, a perspective View of the latchlifter; Fig. 6,a top plan View of the shaft and connections, and Fig. 7 a perspective view of the latch inverted.

Similar reference-letters in the several figures of the drawings designatesimilar parts.

In constructing cultivators of the type shown the axle A is so bent that the longitudinally-central portion is elevated considerably, so as to clear the cornstalks or other plants, and frames B B are attached to the main parts and carry the cultivator shovels or plows, and it has been customary to attach clod-fenders detachably but 'non-adjustably to theframes B B. In this form of construction the fenders cannot be either elevated or depressed to suit different depths of plowing, which is a disadvantage, nor can they be lifted out of the way when working portions of a field where the corn may be high and it may not be desirable to use the fenders, their function being to protect only the small and tender stalks from being covered or injured by clods or an excess of soil thrown over by the shovels, and, as is well known, the growth of the corn may vary in height. Therefore it is desirable that thelarger growth should be banked up somewhat wherever it may be found large enough to require it, In practically carrying out my invention I provide two fenders 00, substantially alike, of sheet metal, to each of which is secured rigidly a curved arm D or D, which may be suitably bent, so that the fender which it supports at its forward end may sit in a proper position relatively to a forward shovel and with respectto the row of corn hills. The free ends of the arms are pivoted to the frames B B by means of pivot-bolts a a, placed somewhat forward of the positions that it is desired that the fenders shall occupy, so that when the rear ends of the fenders are elevated the forward ends thereof may also rise nearly to axle A and rotativel'y support a shaft E having an integral lever F and a pair of lift-arms G ,G extending from the shaft oppositely from the lever, the lever being situate at one end and an arm at the opposite end of the shaft and the otherarm near the lever. .At the extremity of each arm is an eye f, to which a link I) or b is connected, the pair of links being connected also tothe fenders C C and supporting them,'together with their pivoted arms aforesaid. The housings'may bevariously designed, being preferably composed of but twoprincipal parts H and K for the main housing, which supports .the shaft adjacent to the lever F, and two parts I and i K for carrying the opposite end of the shaft.

'The parts H and I may be made of cast metal most suitably, while the parts or caps K K- maybe made 'of wrought or malleable metal and may be exactly alike. The partlissimigether at their ends by screw-boltsk, theeu'p- .per ends being slightly apart, so as to insure a binding pressure against the axle,'whi-ch occupies an opening t, formed betweenithef two parts.

The shaft E-may :rotate in. an;

' opening j, formed as a journal-bearingbelow} the other opening, also between the two parts of the housing. Theother housing is formed the same as the one described, except that the 7 part Hprojects above the part K'and has an ear or pair. of ears d, in-which is pivotedfa latch J by means of a pivot-pin e, the latch extending downwardly :and engaging thetoip' of" the lever The shaft EIhas cylindrical} portions, forming Journals at u uywhere it:

. :WOI'kS in the bearings in the housings. Thus tivator.

thearms G Gextend forwardof theaxle A, whilethe lever F extends rearwardlythere from and tea point 'within-reachofan-topen jator, whether-upona riding or a walkin'g'c'ul- The latch -J operates asapawl'an-d' atvoner end has a, pivot-hole a, engaged by'thespi'n e, and at its opposite end ithas'd'epending guidelugs r at either-side, between whichrits-broad ends ridesupon the lever F and "also rest in .in the upper side of the-lever at-suitable dis tances from the shaft E.

The, latch lifter Lhasa pivot-hole Z som'ewhat near its longitudinal center, by which it .is connected pivotally to one-side of the lehandle and normally is elevated above the tq'p'of the lever, so that theoperators thnmb may press upon it at the end m, and a hook M extends downward and under the lever, so as mum it the upward movement of the lifterhandle. The longer opposite end of the lifter has a smooth upper surface a extending along the sides of the teeth, so that the free endot the latch may slide thereon, and this end of the lifter is the heavier, so as to overbalance the opposite end.

- In practical use the lever F should be grasped at the handle t, and, forcing it downward, thefe'n'ders may be elevated, the latch J automatically dropping into a notch h and retaining the lever-F .whereplaced, the weight of 'the fenders causing the lever to be held againstthe latch. To depress the fenders, press both upon the lever F and the end m of the lifter L, when the latch will be-released from the'notch and beelevated'upongthe lifter. Then the end of the lever may beraised to the desired position and-the latch be again allowed to drop into a notch. Thusbyproper manipulation the fenders may bequickly adjusted while in operation. They may be thrown up instantly to release a clod, or they may be elevated to inoperative positionsand there retained, and-when not at all required the fendersan'd the whole appliance may be -removed from the machine. lar to the part K, thesetwo being b'olted'toa Having thus described my invention, what Iolaimyand desire to secure by Letters Patent,'i's--- 1. In a cultivator, the combination of pivoted clod-fend'ers,a rocking shaft having lift arms, links connecting the fenders with the lift-arms, a lever attached to the rocking shaft, and a latch for the lever.

. Ina cultivator, the combinationwith a frame-thereof, of 'clod-fenders havingeach an armpivoted atits free end to such frame, a rocking shafthaiing lift -arms, links connect ing theli-ft-armsandthe fender-s, a lever rating-arm-s, links connecting the lifting-arms andthe fenders, a lever secured'to the rock ing shaft and having notches in theupper 'ed geor-facethereof, a pivoted latch riding tacked tothe rockingshaft, andiailatch'for at its-freeend upon the lever'so thatia notch may be engaged thereby, sand a latch-lifter pivoted at 'one side of the lever whereby the I p 5 free end of the latch maybe carried while any one of the notches h, which are formed" shifting the'ilever -so'that "other notches may been gagedlby thel'atch.

4. In a cultivator,the combinatiomwiththe v frames B ,.B, of the Ear-ms D,- D-; the pivotb'olts a, =a-, connecting.s'aidiarms pivotally to said frames; :the fenders rigidly attached to said arms; the'housings suitably supported; the rocking zshal't havingthe lift-arms and inounted in said housings the links connected to said arms and to saidfenders; the lever attached to said shaft; the latch engaging said lever; and the latch-lifter pivoted to said lever.

5. In a cultivator, the combination with the adjustable fenders and the cultivator-axle, of the detachable housings secured to said axle, the rocking shaft journaled in said housings, the forwardly-extending lift-arms secured to said shaft, the links connected at their upper ends to said arms and at their 7 lower ends to said fenders, the rearwardlyextending lever secured to said shaft, the notches at the top of said lever, the latch pivoted to one of said housings and engaging either one of said notches, and the latchlifter pivoted at one side of said lever and extending along the sides of said notches be- SAMUEL E. CLAPP.

Witnesses:

J. TALMAGE CLAPP, SHERMAN BLINE. 

